Someone's Watching Over Me
by Alexia the hedgehog
Summary: The situation remains the same- A six year old Wutainese is girl caught up in the battle fields is saved by the opposing enemy.But the situation changes drastically when different people are placed as the savior.
1. Angeal Hewley

She knew she shouldn't have ran in this direction. Her mother specifically told her to head to the woods, but in the midst of the flying bullets and the infiltration of the enemies foot soldiers, she panicked. Which she couldn't be blamed since she was only six years old. Her heart hammered in her chest as she darted from bush to bush, a sheen of sweat covered her small body and eyes were franticly searching for any sign of the enemy.

She didn't really understand any of this, why her people were being terrorized by the enemy, the source of all their problems. Ever since she could remember, she had been taught that Shinra was an evil sent from the heavens and that she had to grow up to be strong and fight against them…but she was scared. Terrified of fighting. She knew the reason why her big brother hadn't come back, and she didn't want that to happen to her or anyone she knew…she just wanted the fighting to end.

"There! I saw movement!" A loud voice shouted in the midst of the loud gunfire and cries of war, her hazel eyes peered around the bush to see two men in infantry uniforms…the enemies, infantrymen. Instantly she turned the other direction to try to escape the oncoming soldiers, but skitted to a stop when she saw the other man walking towards her with his gun raised her direction. Her thin fingers tightened around the Moogle doll she was clutching against her chest as she backed away from the frightening man, only to collide into the other two men she was initially running from.

"Well, well. What do we have here?"

"Some Wutai brat."

"I say just put the girl out of her misery and get back to the squadron." The three conversed amongst each other for a few moments before all three pairs of eyes rested on the dark haired little girl again. Her knees knocking together as she stared up at the three men trying to decide her fate.

"We can't kill a kid-"

"Kids grow up and _that_ kid could grow up to be fighter. We end it at its roots, is what I say."

"Then just get this over with."

"Sorry, kid. Its nothing personal, but gotta do whatcha gotta do." One said as he focused his attention on her, the gun leveled towards her head as she stumbled back in fear, her eyes the size of the moon as she faced down her death, tightly clutching her doll as her one last friend and comfort. She heard the click of the gun and quickly shut her eyes, not wanting to see the bullet fly towards her and just prayed to Leviathan that it wouldn't hurt.

However, before the bullet was shot, the gun was knocked out of the infantryman's hands and onto the ground by a massive sword. The men looked at who had done that, about to yell in anger but stopped before they could open their mouths as they saw it was their squadron leader. His Mako blue eyes narrowed at the sight of his men about to murder the girl and he quickly intervened before he allowed his division to disgrace themselves any further.

"What do you think you're doing?" He growled out at them as they stood at attention, none of the men looking very pleased that they had angered their leader and possibly endangered their chances of ever getting into the SOLDIER program.

"We're stopping Wutai troops from ever becoming enemies-"

"Does this girl look like a threat to you-" He snapped at them as they all nearly jumped out of their boots before quickly replying back 'No, sir.' "So you were going to murder her, in cold blood?"

"B-But sir-"

"Fighting to defend your home is honorable, but killing women and children is the lowest thing you could possibly do. Return to base and expect a long suspension from active duty." He said as his fingers clenched around his massive blade, the infantrymen yelped out a 'Yes, sir' then quickly retreated afraid of what else the 1st Class would tell them to do. The dark haired man took in a deep breath, his arms trembling with anger at the idea that his men was about to kill the girl. He turned around after counting to five to calm himself to see that the little girl was still standing in her spot, absolutely petrified of the massive SOLDIER before her.

She had been told many stories of these men. Monsters infused with power from the planet. That they enjoyed the deaths of others, and scent of blood in the air, she stared up at the man before her terrified out of her wits to make a run for it or even squeak out a cry of help or mercy. Her arms tightened around her doll as she waited for the SOLDIER to make his decision of what to do with her, she wasn't sure what was more scary. When he stood at full height or when he had knelt down to her level.

"Are you alright?" He said gently as he could while glancing over the little girl for obvious injuries. As far as he could see, she was perfectly fine with the exception of a few small scratches from running through bushes and such, he held his hand out to her waiting for her response. Meanwhile she just stared at him, unsure of whether to answer him or not…and she chose the latter because she was too terrified to stammer out anything.

The SOLDIER frowned at the reclusive girl then stood up, glancing around to see what all happened around him. Most of the fighting had veered off to the north side of the rice fields, all that were left in this area were the stragglers and the dead. His azure eyes darted back down to the girl, who if he had not seen darting past him earlier he would have thought she was a stone statue. He wasn't sure what to do in this situation. He very well couldn't leave her in the midst of the battle fields, she'd turn into cannon fodder faster than you could say Gryphal Greens… and yet, he wasn't sure if it'd be appropriate for a SOLDIER 1st Class to return to base with a Wutainese girl at his side. What to do, what to do…

Eventually he made his decision, he knew Shinra representatives wouldn't have liked his choice and with this single action he just might lose his position, but his honor wouldn't let him make any other choice.

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><p>She sat in the very back corner of the tent, her arms wrapped around her knees brought up closely to her chest. He had left her in there, promising to return with a meal, firmly ordering her to stay within the confines of the shelter or risk getting hurt or worse. Again the girl was confused and afraid of why he had let her live or brought her along with him, when he could have just as easily done what the infantrymen would have done.<p>

Guilt began to eat at her for trusting him, it was going against everything she had been taught, but there was something about him that told her she could trust him. After all, he had saved her life, so the story that SOLDIERs were monsters solely out for blood and death were lies. That SOLDIERs were cruel and harsh, were also lies, because the large man that had brought her to their base had been very kind in his own gruff, but polite way.

Eventually, he returned as promised with a fairly large loaf of bread, chunk of cheese and a water canteen. He quickly closed the flaps to the tent then sat on his sleeping bag just two feet away from her, then slowly placed the rations of food on the fabric of his bag. Her hazel orbs timidly watched his every movement, still doubtful of whether he'd lash out at her. He hadn't said a word since entering the tent with her, and to be fair, she hadn't said a single word since encountering him in the first place, but she couldn't help the tiny whimper that escaped as she saw him pull out a small pocket knife.

"Its alright. I'm not going to hurt you." He said repeating himself from earlier, not upset that she was still fearful of him. He didn't blame her. He knew the nasty rumors spread about SOLDIER and he knew it got even worse in Wutai. He didn't blame her for her distrust in him, rather he thought she was fairly brave not have burst into tears at any moment, like a normal girl of her age. But then again, this girl wasn't quite like the six year olds in Banora or Midgar for that matter, this little one before him had seen the repercussions of the war and knew very well not to trust the enemy…and yet here she was. Patiently sitting in the tent like he asked of her, and not screaming or turning to hysterics.

He looked at her briefly then he slowed his movements as he lifted up the pocket knife to slice through the bread and cheese then set it out before him. He purposely made sure she saw that he was putting the knife far away from himself to show he truly did have no intention of hurting her. Ever so slowly he stretched his arm to hold out the canteen of water to her, knowing she had to be dehydrated, or at least parched, since he wasn't sure how long she had been running.

She looked at the offering then un-tucked her legs, crawling forward to snatch the canteen then retreat back to her little corner of the tent's safety, before timidly taking a few slow sips then quickly drank the cool liquid down in large gulps as a tiny dribble of the water dripped down her mouth and neck. Using the back of her hand, she wiped her lips then quickly placed the water container a foot away from her in the direction of the SOLDIER, then her eyes wandered to the pieces of bread and cheese. Her stomach rumbled earning a lighthearted chuckle from the man across from her, he in turn reached over lifting up the pieces of food towards her.

She looked at him again, wondering what had possessed him to feed her, as he contradicted the myth that all SOLDIERs were heartless. Then she moved forward again, moving even more slowly than before to get the food and yet, he sat there still as a stone waiting for her to slowly warm up to him. He didn't want her to be afraid of him. He hated to admit that he didn't like that people were sometimes afraid of him, children especially. And so, he made sure to be very careful with this girl, in a way treating her like a tiny bird that had to be eased into his hand.

He pulled his hand back once she took the food and returned to her corner…but not as far back as before. His lips twitched as he fought back the small smile of the tiny win, then looked down to take his own piece of food and eat. He figured that she'd be more at ease when she saw that he was eating the exact same thing as her. Briefly he closed his eyes as he bit into the rather bland piece of bread when he heard her voice at last, softly whisper out _"Thank you."_

He looked up after swallowing his food, then smiled as warmly as he possibly could. "You're welcome. My name is Angeal."

Then once again he was taken aback as he received a reply, further proving his slow efforts were taking effect.

"_**I'm Shina."**_

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><p><em><em>Okay so my plans for this is that its the same situation...just different characters and how they react to finding/rescuing Shina and those characters will be- Zack, Cloud, Sephiroth and Genesis.

Why? Because...I don't know...something else for me to concentrate on.

Reviews are greatly welcomed! And will get me to update much much much faster *hint-hint*!

~**_God Bless_**!~


	2. Zack Fair

A blur of dark purple clothing dashed through the bushes and bramble of the Wutai fields. A wild grin crossed his lips as he landed an attack while giving out a loud battle cry furthering the panic of the enemy. The dark haired teen swung his arm down and across, up and to the side as he finished off the enemy in his assigned vicinity of the territory. The sound of battle echoed all around him mixed with the class of swords and cries. He didn't particularly like killing people, but if it protected the rest of the world from Wutai's harsh regime and helped spread Mako energy to better the people's lives then he could learn to ignore it.

Sighing in relief that his job was done…for the moment, he languidly walked around wondering how everyone else was doing on their sectors of Wutai squadrons. He winced inwardly at the sight of the dead, both enemy and former comrades. His nerves were tense as he listened for the slightest rustle of sound that could lead to an ambush or surprise attack. Then came the clumping of boots, followed by heavy breathing. The young man frowned at the sound wondering what exactly was happening. His mako enhanced hearing could easily pick up on two pairs of boots and a soft thudding.

They came up fast barely giving him enough time to spin around and feel something stumble against his legs as the men came upon him. The violet eyed teen looked at the two infantrymen who saluted the higher ranking SOLDIER before turning their attention to what had run into him. A little girl. Deep pools of hazel looked up at him timidly then stumbled back in an attempt to run away again. Instantly the two men were about to take off after the child when they met the blade of a SOLDIER issued sword.

"SOLDIER Second Class, Zack. What's going on here?" Zack asked curious as to why the infantry was chasing down a kid. The two men looked to each other then glanced at the general direction of where the girl had ran with a silent curse.

"We were simply following orders, sir. Eliminate all Wutai threats." One replied curtly, obviously not liking that they were once again undermined by SOLDIER. Meanwhile the SOLDIER Second Class frowned at them then glanced to where the girl had ran and back to the men.

"Well yeah, "Zack said lightly scratching his head puzzled. ", but she's just a kid."

"Kids grow up to be Wutai insurgents." One snapped out glaring at the SOLDIER before biting out the mandatory 'Sir.' The spiky haired teen frowned at the answer. He couldn't imagine killing a kid. Sure, he could handle grown ups. Men. Women trained to kill. But kids? They shouldn't even be part of the war. But they were. Zack wasn't sure what to do at that moment. Let the men go after her and complete their assignment or let the kid live even if its to become his enemy. Neither option made him feel any better. He didn't want to save her then wind up having to kill her when she grew up. However he knew that it wasn't honorable to kill a kid- a little girl in cold blood. Even if he'd fight her in the future, he'd be prepared then and he probably won't even recognize her. Or at least that's what he told himself.

"Just let her go. What's one kid anyways?" Zack said with a shrug of his shoulders while both men's eyes narrowed.

"Sir we were ordered-"

"Well this is a new order from a Second Class SOLDIER." Zack huffed not liking to pull rank on people, but deemed it necessary for this small task. He just hoped Angeal wouldn't get his pants in a twist for ordering people around that he had no right to command. Both men nodded and turned away from him as they returned to where they came from leaving the SOLDIER behind. Zack sighed then glanced around himself once more. _She's probably long gone now._ Zack told himself as he began to walk his own way when the tiny snap of a branch rang in his ears. Normally an un-enhanced man wouldn't have heard it and if he did he wouldn't pay mind to it. But this SOLDIER did. He paused and turned around towards the bush where the sound began. Brow furrowing he looked closer and noticed tiny mud encrusted feet, crouched on the ground. A grin began to spread across his face as he stomped his feet-

"I guess I better be heading back to camp!" He shouted out continuously stomping his feet then stopped all together and waited a few minutes to see if the little girl had fallen for it. It wasn't until two minutes later did the girl finally crawl out from the bush and out into the open area. She glanced around and froze when she saw the SOLDIER just two feet away. She ran. Heart racing and mind spinning in fear she tried to dash away from him but four of her short dashes were a mere two for the long legged teen as he caught up to her and swept her into his embrace. She struggled for a minute then fell completely still knowing that it was useless to fight him. She wasn't nearly strong enough to get away or even scratch him.

Surprisingly to the girl the dark haired teen set her on the ground and knelt on one knee, all the while keeping one hand on her shoulder. He smiled brightly at the Wutainese girl and reached up lightly smooth out her hair as he glanced over her to make sure she was alright.

"Hey, its okay." He soothed gently. "I'm not gonna hurt you. My name's Zack. What's yours?"

She stared up at him mystified of the SOLDIER before her speaking softly with her. His hand on her shoulder firm but wasn't hurting and she could wiggle away if she really wanted to. _I like his smile. _She sheepishly thought to herself as she looked up at the teen then lightly shrugged.

"Aww, come on." He teased playfully wanting to know more about the strange girl. "You've gotta have a name. A pretty girl like you always has a name. I know!" He yelped out snapping his fingers then winked at the brown eyed girl earning a giggle from the usually timid child.

"I'll guess your name! Is it Kira?" He asked as she shook her head at him, not even realizing that he had released his hold on her shoulder.

"Okay, is it…Mia?"

"Ah-uh!"

"Well lets see. Is it Kay?"

Another head shake earning a puzzled frown from Zack and a giggle from the girl. She rocked back and forth on her heels delighted that a grown up didn't know something that she did. They went back and forth for a little while till eventually Zack was sitting cross-legged on the ground beside the child who was continuously giggling at his mistakes.

"Alrighty, I give up!" Zack sighed in exasperation falling back in a heap as peals of laughed echoed in his ear. She crawled over to where he was and lightly poked at his chest before finally speaking.

"My name's Shina." She giggled as Zack beamed up at her then sat straight up before lightly ruffling her dark strands. He knew he'd get her to answer him sooner or later; it was just a matter of getting her to trust him. And eventually everyone would wind up trusting Zack Fair. It simply was inevitable.

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><p>Thanks for reviews! I'm so glad to hear that people have taken interest in it! Once I've gotten all the encounters done, I will do a poll for everyone to vote on to have one chapter sequal to their favorite encounter!<p>

FireWolfHeart-And as for SOAD I have no idea when I'd be updating that...if ever.

So thank you everyone for the reviews! Please keep it up if you want faster updates! ~God Bless!~


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